Sunday, July 5, 2009

Buehrle An All Star Pitcher, Barack's Catcher?

A post on the TalkingChicagoBaseball Twitter got me thinking about the All Star game and more specifically the festivities. It's a really stupid thing to be thinking about at a time like this but the comment got me to wondering exactly who would catch the first pitch Barack throws out at the game.

Obviously this is a very big deal as it is every time a President throws out a first pitch. But this one is a little different because never has a President made such a big deal out of being a fan of a certain team. I'm sure if Barack actually got to choose he would pick either Buehrle or a player of historical significance like Ozzie Smith. But knowing St. Louis and Major League Baseball I don't think it will be up to him (which is sad).

That being said I still think Buehrle is a good choice. He's from St. Charles, Missouri, grew up a diehard Cardinal fan, and would definitely be honored to catch the pitch. The reason I bring up honor is because I think that rules out the easy choice of just picking a Cardinal, and more specifically the Cardinal catcher. I have nothing against Yadier Molina but he is not American. Therefore I would rather he did not get to catch the first pitch Barack throws out as the President.

My guess of who it will be though would be someone like Hank Aaron, Ozzie Smith, or Stan Musial. I say those three because that's the most influential living black player, the best Cardinal black player (correct me if I'm wrong), and the best Cardinal player (ditto).

I know the game is about St. Louis and rightfully it should be. But I think this should be something that should be memorable for Barack as well. He was unable to attend either Sox game he wanted to (Opening Day and The Civil Rights Game), and now he has a chance to interact with the best player on his favorite team.

Whether it is Buehrle or not, I just hope they don't make a stupid decision. Please pick an American.